If You Just Listened - Part 15
Everyone had left that night, leaving you to close up on your own. No, you'd never done it on your own before, but Owen called out, leaving you to carry the torch by yourself.
Your boss, Mike, was the last one to leave, waddling out of his office like a fat penguin and practically coughing out a lung. He stopped in the main area before leaving, turning towards you.
"You got the keys to lock up?" he grumbled.
You nodded, holding them up so he could see.
"Good, good..." He made his way to the exit, pulling his jacket on. "Now, you got a lot of work to do. Gather the plates, wash 'em. Then vacuum the carpet. You gotta put all the seats upside down on the tables before you do that, though. Clean up the counters, mop the kitchen... and I think that's it."
"Yup, yup. I got it," you assured.
Mike mumbled a few more directions, but you were sure they weren't important. He pulled his hat on, making his way out of Pogo's.
You tip-toed towards the exit, peering out the small window in the door to make sure he was totally gone.
You wiped your forehead, slinging a small towel over your shoulder. There was a long night ahead of you, that was certain — but honestly you didn't mind. There were no co-workers to pester you, no boss to throw orders at you, and no customers to keep happy. You could put on the TVs and some music, just focusing on your cleaning. And the best part of it was — you'd get paid for every minute.
You took the remote from behind the bar, switching on the TVs and muting them. You picked up a small radio from under the counter, switching through the channels until you found one that played hits of the 50s and 60s.
"It's all coming together," you happily whispered to yourself. You tied your hair into a ponytail, resting your fists on your hips. You were ready to tackle the night.
But it felt like you were forgetting something...
You remembered hugging Arthur last night before heading back home to rest. He hugged you so tightly, you swore he'd break your ribs. You couldn't imagine what must've been going through his mind. The guilt he must've felt. You didn't want to leave him alone, but you had to.
He called you the next morning, before you headed off to work.
"Hey..." his voice croaked through the grainy speaker.
"Arthur, how are you? Did you sleep? You're still at the hospital?"
"I'm okay... My mom is... Well she's okay. She's okay. I slept a little, but... yeah. I'm still here. You're going to work soon?"
You twisted your phone cord tightly around your finger.
"Oh... I was just wondering if you had time for breakfast or something. But it's okay. I'll just... I'll just have what the hospital hands out. It's alright."
You pressed your fingers over your temple.
"I'm sorry-"
"No, please. Don't be. You're getting off at the usual time tonight?"
"Yeah, I am."
"Okay. I'll be there to walk home with you then."
You chuckled into the phone. Even with his mother in the hospital, Arthur wanted to make sure you were safe. There were no words to describe how grateful you were for his friendship.
You slapped your forehead. With Owen calling out, there was no way you'd be able to get out on time. It'd be an extra two hours, at least. Was Arthur already there?
You walked towards the exit, heading out towards the hallway that lead outside. You unlocked the old door and pushed it open, looking from side to side.
Sure enough, Arthur was already there, waiting for you. He was resting his back against the wall, smoking a cigarette as always. You chuckled, leaning on the doorway.
Arthur looked up in surprise, smiling once he realized it was you. He flicked the cigarette to the ground, extinguishing it under his foot as he approached you.
"I'm afraid we're closed, you're gonna have to come back tomorrow," you joked, holding your hand up as if to stop him from entering.
"Very funny," he grinned. "So, ready to go?"
You sighed, scratching the back of your head. "Actually, no. We got a call out, so I'm on my own cleaning up tonight. Gonna be a while to finish up... Honestly you should just head home."
Arthur shook his head. "No. Out of the question. You're not walking home alone while I'm around. I'll help you close up." With that, he pushed past you and made his way into Pogo's.
You raised your eyebrows at him. "Oho, you did NOT just do that."
Arthur looked over his shoulder at you, smiling. "No, it looks like I did. So, we doing this or what?" He pulled off his coat, hanging it on the entrance rack as he grabbed a cleaning towel from the bar.
You stopped in your tracks, watching him as he got to work wiping the tables. You scoffed in amazement, crossing your arms.
What's gotten into this guy?
Whatever it was, it was fun to see Arthur like this. He deserved to be happy. You smiled, joining in the work.
It was tough, there was no denying it. About an hour in, you decided to call for a break.
You wiped some sweat off your forehead, turning to Arthur. "You want some water before we move on to vacuuming?"
Arthur finished mopping up the kitchen, looking up at you breathlessly. He nodded, walking to the main area and plopping himself down into a seat. He pulled off his navy sweater, rolling up the cuffs of his white button-down above his forearms. He pressed his palms to his face, pushing his hair back and slouching down into the chair.
Your eyes scanned him up and down. You couldn't help but think he looked... attractive.
Woah. What am I even thinking? Focus. Just focus. We're almost done.
You brought out a pitcher of water, along with two glasses. You set them out on the table, filling both cups. After sitting down across from Arthur, the two of you barely hesitated, gulping down the cold water with fervor.
Arthur set down the now empty glass in front of him, trying to catch his breath.
"I knew your job here was rough..." he began, slightly panting, "but I didn't think it was this bad."
You laughed, running your finger along the inside of the cup. "Yup. So if I'm ever in a bad mood after a shift, you know why."
Arthur smiled, and the two of you quietly enjoyed the music coming from the radio.
You heard the outside entrance being pulled open, the old creaky door alerting you of a visitor.
You shot up from your seat, squinting through the small window of the exit. Mike was walking down the hallway.
If he saw you invited someone in, you were done. Done.
You looked at Arthur, then the door, then back at Arthur.
Quickly, you yanked him upwards by his arm and rushed him towards the bar, pushing him down behind the counter. Arthur looked at you, worried and confused.
"W-What's going on-"
"Shhh!"
You cupped your hand over his mouth, holding a finger to your lips. Arthur stared at you wide-eyed for a moment, but nodded.
You ran back out towards the tables, pretending to wipe them.
Mike finally reached the club entrance, pulling it open and catching his breath.
"Still on the tables? Jesus..." he heaved.
"No, no. I'm just doing some final touches. After this, I just have to vacuum and we're all set."
Mike raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Huh. Didn't know you had it in you."
He adjusted his pants, walking towards the bar. You swallowed hard.
I hope to Christ he doesn't see Arthur.
Mike rested his hand on the bar's counter, scanning it. You felt a bead of sweat drip down your forehead.
"Thought I left my keys here...Had to take the fucking subway all the way back. Third time in two months I forget this shit..." He sighed angrily, making his way into his office.
You waited until he was far enough inside his office before scurrying over to the bar. You peered over it, seeing Arthur huddled into the corner, his knees to his chest. He looked up at you, smiling and giving a thumbs up. You let out a breath, smiling back at him.
You heard Mike lock up his office, and hurried back to the tables.
"Found 'em," he said, holding up his keys triumphantly. You smiled and nodded.
"Alright, time to take this fucking train again. Night," he lazily waved at you, and headed out.
You held your breath, waiting until you finally heard the hallway door creak shut.
You sighed in relief, laughing in alleviation and spun around. Arthur chuckled, pulling himself out from behind the bar. You ran to him, jumping and wrapping your arms around him. He stumbled backwards, hanging on to you as you nearly knocked the both of you over.
"I thought I was done for, like, completely done! " You looked up at Arthur, smiling. "My heart is pounding so hard right now, I didn't think we'd pull that off! Especially when he was looking over the counter..."
You suddenly realized how close your face was to Arthur's. You let go of him, taking a step back. You could feel your blood rushing to your cheeks.
You cleared your throat. "Sorry- We should, uh... Let's just vacuum and get out of here."
You rushed into the supply room, muttering swears at yourself for your stupidity.
Arthur stood there in stunned silence.
He didn't have to imagine a single thing.
The sparkle in your eyes, your soft pink lips stretched into that adorable smile.
He wanted to believe that was for him.
But you told him how you felt. Even his imagination couldn't wipe that memory away.
"I don't think that's a good idea right now."
He sighed, his hand reaching up to his shoulder and squeezing it. At least you were friends. That's all that mattered.
Vacuuming didn't take long. The two of you worked quickly together. Arthur set each chair upside-down on their respective tables, and you followed behind him hurriedly, passing the vacuum under each one.
Finally, the two of you took a step back, admiring all your work.
Arthur scratched the back of his neck. "Looks good," he mumbled.
"Yeah, it does...Wanna celebrate our hard work?"
Arthur turned to you, raising an eyebrow.
You grinned. "Come," you directed, leading him to the bar.
He sat at a stool as you walked behind it. You set out two shot glasses, filling them both up with whiskey. He picked his up slowly, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Um... You sure your boss won't mind?"
You shrugged. "I doubt he'd even notice. Besides, fuck that penguin-looking mother fucker."
Arthur's eyes suddenly shot open. He suddenly snorted, his face turning completely pink.
You looked at him, smiling with confusion. "What?"
Arthur couldn't speak, he buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with quiet laughter. You chuckled quietly along with him, not understanding what he was laughing at. "What's so funny?"
He suddenly burst with loud laughter, leaning back in his stool and swinging his head back. He nearly fell off it, his arms swinging wildly until he regained his balance, continuing to laugh all the while.
You don't know what it was - you don't know what happened, but...
It felt like you were watching him in slow motion. Your gaze was stuck on him, and you couldn't shake it.
But you didn't want to look away anyway.
You could feel your heart gently pounding away in your chest. Your hands became clammy with sweat. Your head was spinning. Your face was warm. What was this feeling?
Arthur's happy laughter was intoxicating. It was loud, awkward, funky, bizarre... and amazing. You wanted to listen to it for as long as you could. Were you sick? What was happening to you?
No, you couldn't be. When you were sick, you didn't want to be sick. But this feeling... you wanted this feeling. You loved this feeling.
"I've NEVER heard you curse like that!" he finally managed to say through his dying laughter. "I couldn't have imagined you saying anything like that. Ever."
You opened your mouth to speak, your trance being so strong it felt impossible.
Arthur let out a cheerful sigh, shaking his head before quickly downing his shot and standing up. "Alright, what do you say we go home?"
You watched him as he pulled his sweater back on, heading towards the exit. Your eyes fluttered, and you took a deep breath.
The walk home was the best walk you'd had in your life.
A/N- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH FINALLY SOME FUCKING ROMANCE. god. i made myself wait so fucking long. jesus. this slow burn is killing me as much as i hope its killing you guys
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